Renew Montville Coalition Launches

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Promotes Biomass Energy Project; Mayor McDaniel Chairs

Repowering the Montville plant represents an incredible opportunity to save and grow jobs, and make Connecticut an example of how renewables can work.

Montville, CT (PRWEB)August 16, 2012

Business, civic and labor groups as well as local and state elected officials today launched a coalition to support the proposed biomass energy repowering project in Montville, Connecticut. The coalition, “RenewMontville.org” urges the State to create a process that would result in a contract for the power from one of the generating units at NRG Energy Inc’s Montville power plant, repowered to use clean wood biomass as fuel.

This fully-permitted project could be ready to begin construction in approximately six months, and offers a number of significant benefits to the city, region and state, including:

Delivers 40 megawatts of clean, renewable power

Ensures the long-term economic viability of the Montville power plant

Provides new, incremental property tax revenues

Creates approximately 200 long-term regional jobs in the forestry and logistics industries

Renew Montville.org is chaired by Montville Mayor Ronald McDaniel, who remarked: “Repowering the plant represents an incredible opportunity to save and grow jobs, and make Connecticut an example of how renewables can work. We’ve been fighting for the Montville Biomass repowering project for a long time, and it’s now within reach. The Delegation and I have met with Commissioner Esty, who indicated that he supports biomass repowering.” McDaniel added “We need the region and in fact the entire state to get behind this, and let the Governor and Commissioner Esty know that this is the right project at the right time for Connecticut.”

State Representative Tom Reynolds, also a member of the coalition, said “The proposed Biomass Project for Montville supports our shared goals of creating Connecticut jobs and renewable energy for our state. It will also go a long way toward helping the state meet its Renewable Portfolio Standard requirement and help us save on our energy costs.”

AFL-CIO Connecticut President John Olsen added that “the Montville Biomass Project will create needed construction and permanent jobs in Eastern Connecticut. NRG has been a good employer in Connecticut and we applaud them for pursuing this project. We strongly encourage the Governor and Commissioner Esty to create a process that would result in a contract with NRG to move this project forward this year.”

NRG Energy Inc., the owner of the Montville plant, proposes to convert an existing 82 megawatt (MW) oil- and natural-gas fueled unit at the facility to used clean wood biomass as fuel. The converted unit would run most of the time at 40 MW as a so-called “baseload” unit, but if needed on especially hot or cold days could still be operated at its full 82 MW capacity on gas or ultra-low-sulfur diesel. The project has received its permits from the Connecticut Siting Council and Connecticut DEP (now DEEP) and could begin construction in approximately six months.

Under an offtake contract, a utility such as UI, CL&P or CMEEC, as part of its ongoing energy procurement activity, would typically purchase the electrical output of the repowered unit for a certain number of years. However, the cost of repowering the plant, estimated at $100 million, would be borne by NRG alone, not by ratepayers or taxpayers.

About RenewMontville.org
RenewMontville.org is a coalition that advocates for the Montville biomass repowering project at the existing NRG Energy power plant. For a list of members, their websites, and news about the coalition and the proposed project, visit http://www.RenewMontville.org.
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